May 2026 – Each chapter of Last Call Library shared, selected, and settled on five very different books this month. See each book summary below:
 

                    The Gods of New York  by Jonathan Mahler
                    Random House, 2025 (pp. 464)


Jonathan Mahler captures New York City at a turning point, tracing how the boom years of the late 1980's collided with deep inequality, racial tensions, AIDS, and the crack epidemic. Through the city's defining events and larger-than-life figures, The Gods of New York chronicles the chaotic birth of modern New York.

​​

                    A History of the World in 6 Glasses  by Tom Standage
                    Walker Publishing, 2006 (pp. 336)


Tom Standage recounts human history through the lens of six influential drinks -- beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola -- showing how each respective drink was integral to trade, politics, culture, and global power. A History of the World in 6 Glasses will have you looking at your next drink a little differently.
 

                    No Country of Old Men  by Courmac McCarthy
                    Knopf Doubleday Publishing, 2006 (pp. 320)


Cormac McCarthy tells the story of a doomed Texas welder who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and unleashes a wave of violence across the borderlands. Through the eyes of a weary sheriff and a chilling hitman, No Country for Old Men is a haunting account of fate, morality, and a changing America.
 

                    London Falling  by Patrick Radden Keefe
                    Doubleday, 2026 (pp. 384)

 

Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the mysterious death of a young man whose fabricated identity drew him into London's underworld of oligarchs, gangsters, and dirty money. As his grieving parents search for answers, London Falling unfolds into a tense look at how money, power, and how little we may truly know the people closest to us.

​

                    The Island at the Center of the World  by Russell Shorto
                    Abacus, 2014 (pp. 416)

 

Russell Shorto uncovers the forgotten Dutch roots of New York City, revealing how the colony of New Netherland helped shape American ideas around trade, religious freedom, and individual rights. Drawing from newly translated archives, The Island at the Center of the World reimagines early New York as a diverse, contested society long before British rule.

​

​

​

By the end of May each Last Call chapter will have read their respective book of the month and shared their thoughts at their NYC bar of choice. Come June, one of the books and bars will be featured here!